And What if I Am a Soul Reaper?

-It's odd how flat the world seems when you're laying on your back. The tops of trees and the bottoms of clouds almost appear to overlap. It's like you're looking at a painting of vibrant blues, greens, and whites. For a moment, I consider lying here for just a little longer, but deep down I know that sooner or later I'll have to get up. I try to jump to my feet, but a shooting pain radiates out from my gut and I fall back down to my knees. As I rest my hand on my stomach, I see a little bit of blood, but it quickly turns into particles and dissipates into the air. As I push myself back onto my feet, I sniff the air and notice that my sense of smell is blunted. The ground here is far harder and firmer than the sand of Hueco Mundo, and as I push my way through the brush, I notice that it appears to be far livelier too. There seems to be a clearing ahead, and surprisingly, I can hear the sounds of people coming from it.

"It got away."

"It can't have gone far; keep looking."

As I stumble into the clearing, I see a group of five men wearing black robes with white sashes, carrying swords in their hands. I sniff the air and smell the weak, but familiar scent of strawberries. I pull out my Zanpakuto, readying myself for a fight.

"Hey, there's a kid here."

"Hey kid, you should get back, it's dangerous, he-"

The man steps back, noticing my Zanpakuto and aggressive stance.

"Kid, where did you get that Zanpakuto?

The men fan out, forming a semi-circle around me, and as the tension begins to rise, I hear a faint roaring in the distance. The men hesitate for a moment, but before I can say anything, they've already sheathed their swords and started to run past me. I begin to drool, smelling the delicious scent of cooked meat. Following my stomach, I decide to dash back into the forest, but it would seem that the men from earlier are still far ahead of me. I consider heading up into the tree-tops, but the pain in my gut forces me to reconsider. As I march my way forward, I hear the sound of roaring slowly transform into the sound of shouting and the sound of pained screams. I pick up my pace a little, and soon I'm close enough to see the men slashing down towards the weakened and angry hollow. The swords fall in unison, slashing deep into the flesh of the hollow, but before the men can take a step back, the hollow dashes forward, attempting to bite the nearest man. However, before the hollow could reach his target, one of the men manages to pull back his sword and slashes downwards towards the back of the hollow's head. The sword passes cleanly through, and soon the hollow begins to dissipate into dust. The men fall panting to the ground, and as I approach, I can overhear their chatter.

"Man, that was close."

"You're telling me, I nearly became hollow-chow."

"Next time, how about you be the hollow-bait"

"Give me half a month's pay and I'll consider it."

As I look hungrily at the men, I am struck by indecision. If I were to attack and devour them, then I might be able to regain some of my strength, but if I do, I'll be left alone in the woods. Before I can figure out what I want to do, one of the men stands up and looks directly at me.

"Okay, we were willing to put this off because we were busy, but now we need you to answer. Where did you get that Zanpakuto?"

.....

"Look, I don't want to hurt a kid, but the fact that you have that Zanpakuto can only mean one of two things. Either a stupid soul reaper trainee sold off their Asuachi for a quick buck, or you stole it. Considering the fact that you don't have any shoes on, I'm more inclined to believe that you stole it. How about this, give it back and we'll forget this ever happened. You're too young to properly use a Zanpakuto anyway. "

'It's mine.'

"What was that?"

'I said, this Zanpakuto is mine!'

"Oh come on kid, not only are you far too young to be a soul reaper, you're not even wearing a proper uniform. Stop being stubborn and just give it up. "

'Fine then, I'll prove that it's mine. I focus on the world around me and chant.'

'Swallow, Zentai no Anna.'

I pull on the world, and while the world is slow to respond, slowly but surely I bend the surrounding particles to my will. The concentration of spiritual particles in the air begins to drop and gather on my Zanpakuto. To my surprise, rather than simply extending my blade, the particles began to transform it. The blade collapses into itself, and with a flash of light, all that is left is a small copper mirror that fits in my hand.

"..."

"What is that?"

'It's my Shikai.'

"Are you sure about that?"

....

"You're not sure, are you."

'Shut it. This is my Shikai and I am not justifying it to you.'

"I have no idea how to deal with this. I'm going to have to report this to our division's lieutenant. In the meantime, you're coming with us. "

The man grabs me, and for a moment I consider fighting, but then I realize that even if I do manage to run, I'll still be lost alone in the woods and injured. As the man carries me in his arms, I examine the mirror, and for the first time in quite a long time, I see my own reflection. My face seems.... normal? When I examine my chest, other than the gaping wound that Aizen left, there don't appear to be any holes....

'What?!'

"Jeez kid, don't shout out like that. You nearly made me drop you. "

'Sorry, wait, why am I apologizing to you? You're basically kidnapping me!'

"I am not kidnapping you, I am detaining you. There's a difference."

'Kidnapper says what'

"What? Oh come on, how old are you, like 100?"

'I'm 21.'

"Well, that explains the attitude, but it doesn't explain your measly excuse of a Shikai... wait, maybe it does."

The man carries me as he rushes out of the woods and towards a town filled with people. The people seem to be happy, and as I sniff the air, I notice a growing scent of strawberries. As we get deeper and deeper into the town, the buildings and people start to become more and more lavish. Soon we arrive at a figurative line in the sand, a place where the ramshackle huts abruptly give way to proper buildings.

"What's your name anyway?"

'Tom, Tom Banks,'

"Tom? Now that's an interesting name. Where are you from? "

'Where am I from? I'm from... Oh.'

"What, cat got your tongue?"

'It's none of your business.'

"Kid, it is quite literally my business. Zanpakutos don't grow on trees, and if it came out that I had just left a kid alone in the middle of the woods with one, I would lose my job. Heck, they may even decide to execute me if you turn out to be a threat to Soul Society. "

'And what if I am a soul reaper?'

Well, the fact that you can use Shikai would mean that I have just kidnapped a seated officer. However, considering the fact that you're not in uniform and we found you alone in the middle of the woods, I severely doubt it."

Soon we arrive in front of a large building teeming with the smell of strawberries. As I am carried in through the door, I sense a dense concentration of spiritual pressure, and booze. Mostly booze